What should we be using our electricity for?
Norwegian politicians should not be sponsoring the race to expand the use of AI. The process is wasting too much energy.
Viewpoints
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Saying no to all gene technology is an ethical short-circuit
Conventional breeding techniques result in major and uncontrolled modifications to the genetic material of plants and animals. If arguments based on the ‘precautionary principle’ are used as blindly on this issue as in the gene technology debate, then we are condemning the world to starvation.
4D imaging of fluids in pores
A method based on CT (computed tomography) – a type of imaging that is widely used in hospitals – can help improve our understanding of CO2 storage, batteries, and processes in the body such as nutrient uptake.
Organs grown on microchips may offer a quantum leap for women’s health
Women’s bodies and their health in general have for too long been assigned low priority in the field of research. But an innovative and extraordinary technology may now offer us new treatments for conditions such as endometriosis.
We can’t allow Google to waste its surplus heat
The new Google data centre being built in Skien is in danger of wasting its surplus heat because Norway has no legislation that reduces this risk. We really need to address this issue!
Development projects should be assessed according to the cumulative impact they have on nature
Does it matter if a small area of rare wetland is lost if a lot more of the same area remains intact? In Norway, it is impossible to say, because no-one can show how many such wetlands are being destroyed elsewhere at the same time.
Precautionary fundamentalism is threatening Norwegian food production
If the Norwegian government rejects the majority opinion of the Gene Technology Committee, it will miss a long overdue opportunity to boost food safety, improve animal welfare and promote more eco-friendly pesticides.
Ability to identify bone fractures tells us something important about AI
One of Norway’s biggest achievements to date in the practical application of artificial intelligence is in identifying bone fractures. The secret of this success may be of benefit to many of our business leaders.
Why are we scrapping inexpensive and successful innovation funding initiatives?
The Norwegian government has decided to phase out the country’s Regional Research Funds. This is incomprehensible to those of us who have watched this initiative function successfully as a springboard for green innovation and transition in many small businesses.
European union’s ambitious climate goals are achievable – here’s how
Europe is well on its way to achieving its ambitious climate goals of a 55 per cent reduction in emissions in 2030 and “net zero” in 2050. But proposed policies must be implemented quickly and effectively.
Football may become the game where everyone loses
Match load in international football is becoming so high that it is threatening the health of our players. So much so, that the product itself may also be under threat.
Why we need biofuels
Necessary reductions in greenhouse gases will be achieved too late if we have to wait for all our aircraft, ships and trains to transition from fossil fuels. This is why we need biofuels – in spite of the criticisms levelled at their use in a recent article published on the opinions website ‘NRK Ytring’. Biofuels are no ‘climate change mitigation ruse’, as these authors would have you believe.
Norway needs to know much more before actually mining the deep sea
Norway’s law on mining seabed minerals is too unclear, the knowledge base too flimsy, and the Storting’s White Paper on seabed mining does not hold water.
New knowledge will offer cheaper and greener rail services
New lubricants, combined with new knowledge about how they should be applied to train wheels and rails, have the potential to reduce rail sector costs in Norway by hundreds of millions of kroner during the next decade.
Neighbours can save money by suspending car charging for 30 seconds
The electricity grid in Norway needs more balancing power. Neighbourhood communities can help by participating in a new market where intelligent consumer planning enables them to save money.
Energy saving measures in buildings can turn them into Norway’s biggest ‘power plant’
Energy efficiency measures in buildings can offer Norway a three-fold benefit – by contributing to avoiding an energy deficit and high electricity prices, and to achieving its stated climate change mitigation targets for 2030 and 2050.
Rethinking foreign aid may promote green innovation
Groundbreaking projects funded by Norway demonstrate that foreign aid can help to combat both poverty and environmental problems. One result is that uncontrolled plastic waste may become a resource for the cement industry.
It’s about time we looked into other aspects of AI
If artificial intelligence (AI) is to offer us the societal benefits that many people are dreaming of and believe in, we need to develop technologies that are a lot smarter than those we have today.
Aid efforts focused on the poorest often miss their targets
It is not enough simply to target aid efforts at the poorest. We also have to combat discrimination and inequality both within and between countries.
Who should collect, manage and have access to data from the oceans?
Research institutions from Norway and other countries have collected a great amount of data from the northern oceans in recent years. Many people want access to this information.
Jon Fosse is both high culture and a champion of the banal
In a literary conversation, Jon Fosse said “I am who I am”, which perfectly sums up the awkward, yet insistent way he writes.
Fast charging stations can be built more quickly with these 3 tips
It is essential to speed up electrification of the Norwegian heavy transport sector. We believe that this is possible in spite of full capacity utilisation in the electricity grid. Here are our three recommendations.
Sludge from salmon hatcheries will become a sought-after resource
Fish faeces and residual feed recovered from salmon hatcheries may soon become a sustainable product. The salmon farming sector will be crying out for a solution to the forecast ‘feed squeeze’.
An emergency brake for the climate
To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, the EU’s Science Advisory Board on Climate Change recommends that Europe reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 90-95% by 2040 compared to 1990. Fossil fuels should be phased out as quickly as possible.